AniverseBalance of Power
by Nyqkh
Summary: Eight special people are called away for mysterious reasons. What does this have to do with them? What do they have to do with each other? (DBZNarutoYYHInuYasha)
1. 0:Opening

-AniUniverse-  
Balance of power  
  
=Author's Note=  
Alright, this is my big shot at an epic cross over fan fic, so I want you to review at every chapter, and tell me what you think; is anyone unusually out of character? Are the chapters too short/long? Is there another anime I should include? Am I just a horrible writer? Answer all of these (except the last one if it's a yes) in your review and tell me anything else you think would help me out.  
Just for reference, this is the list of Anime's I want to include or may include at a point (? =I'm thinking about it, some might just be off the top of my head, let me know if I should go one way or the other) Dragon Ball Z Naruto Inuyasha Yu Yu Hakusho Ranma? Shaman King? Tenchi Muyo? Trigun? (Oh yeah, I don't own any of the above shows our characters, blah, blah, blah, and all that other legal stuff)  
  
Prologue  
  
-DBZ Universe-  
A loud alarm rang out, shattering the relative quiet of the other world. King Emma jumped to his feet and quickly pressed a button on the wall next to him. A panel in the wall slid aside, revealing a blank TV screen.  
"Come in Koenma!" A face appeared on the monitor, one resembling that of a toddler. "Did it reach the other dimensions?" King Emma was sweating nervously and trying to control his voice.  
"Yes, I'm afraid so father. The alarm was sounded just moments ago." In the background behind the baby, there could be seen ogres rushing madly in all directions with stacks of papers. "Do you intend to send someone over to deal with it?" Koenma also seemed worried, but was still keeping his cool.  
"It's not that simple. I'm afraid, with the recent unbalance; there would be nothing to stop this from happening again."  
"What??? You mean your going to just let them run free??"  
"Of course not! I realize something has to be done, but it may turn out to be very complicated."  
"I think I know what you mean. The power difference has been getting rather ridiculous lately; we need to do something to keep the peace."  
"Do you have any likely candidates?"  
"Yes, I think I know of a few" (To self: "I hope......") 


	2. I: Introducing

Chapter 1  
-Yu Yu Hakusho Universe-  
"Emergency Training? What's that old hag worked up about this time?" Yusuke asked as he and his three teammates walked up the mountain trail to Genkai's.  
  
"She wouldn't give me any details" Kurama said, walking slightly in front of the group "But she was very insistent that we all show up and be prepared to leave for some kind of emergency training."  
  
"This really bites." Kuwabara complained, carrying an overly large bag over his shoulder. "You would think winning the dark tournament would be enough for these people, how much stronger do we need to be? And besides, my legs are gonna give out from all of this hiking, why can't master Genkai just move to the suburbs?"  
  
"No one told you to pack every thing you own buffoon, if you're tired it's your own fault." Hiei Occasionally appeared from the trees to join in with the group.  
  
"I can't help it, I had to back my overnight stuff, and I couldn't leave my special pillow behind, I can't fall asleep without it. And watch who you're calling a buffoon shrimp!"  
  
"What's the matter buffoon? You don't like the truth?"  
  
"That's it short stuff, you and me, lets go, right now!"  
  
"Shut up you two, were here." Yusuke pushed open the large wooden gates in front of Genkai's house. "Now we can find out what's got grandma all worked up."  
  
-Naruto Universe-  
  
"Anybody home?" Naruto rolled over in bed, and covered his head with his pillow. He didn't care who was here, it was 4 in the morning and after his day of training, he wasn't getting out of bed for the Hokage herself. "You should answer your door, Naruto." He cracked an eye open to see Tsunade standing in front of his bed, looking more annoyed than usual.  
  
"Haven't you heard of sleep?" He asked, turning his back to her and pulling his pillow down harder.  
  
"Unfortunately, sleep is a privilege we Hokages many times go without, but that's not important  
right .....DON'T JUST FALL ASLEEP AGAIN!!!"  
  
"Alright, alright, I'm awake, what do you want" YAWN Tsunade held a sheet of paper in front of his face.  
  
"You should be more excited, Naruto, this is your team's first S- class mission." All traces of sleep immediately disappeared from Naruto's face.  
  
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"What's taking so long??" Sakura mumbled for the third time as she paced back and forth in the street in from of Naruto's house. "I wonder if she could even wake him, he sleeps like a log!" Sasuke remained silent for a moment, eyes gazing into the semi-darkness of the city streets.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Knowing Naruto, he'll be ready as fast as he can. I'm sure this will seem very exciting to him." Sakura looked up at Naruto's window one more time before taking a seat on the road side bench next to Sasuke.  
  
"Aren't either of you nervous about this?" She asked quietly, looking down at the street. "Being called out in the middle of the night, and sending us instead of the Anbu or another high ranking Chuunin on an S-class mission. Something about it just doesn't seem right." She glanced up at Sasuke, who was still starring off into the dark. "Aren't you afraid of what's going to happen?" Sasuke turned toward Sakura but he was still looking away slightly.  
  
"Don't let it get to you, Sakura. If they gave us the mission, they did it for a reason. The only thing we can do is move ahead and find out what they have in store for us. Besides, I'm sure Naruto is just as nervous about an S-class mission, but he'll most likely find his own way to..."  
  
"ALRIGHT!!!! I'M ALL READY TO GO!!!!" Naruto burst out of his open window completely dressed with a large bag over his shoulder. He landed in front of the bench as Sakura and Sasuke stood.  
  
"Be quiet you idiot, you'll wake up the entire village!" Sakura gave Naruto a punch to the head to calm him down.  
  
"You don't have to get mad..." Naruto pouted as he rubbed the bump on his head.  
  
"Stop wasting time" Sasuke snapped as he turned down the street. "The papers Hokage delivered have the location we meet our contacts, so we better move quickly. The coordinates are a long way out of town, and we have to make it by sunset." He stuffed the paper into his pocket and walked off, leaving the other two to catch up.  
  
"ALL RIGHT!! WERE ON OUR WAY!!!!!!"  
  
"IDIOT!!"  
  
"OW, OW, OW! THAT ONE REALLY HURT!!!"  
  
-Inuyasha Universe-  
  
Inuyasha was jerked out of his sleep as he slapped his hand to his cheek.  
  
"What the ...?" He held out his hand and looked down to see Miyoga fall into his lap. "Dammit Miyoga, this is the last time you screw with me."  
  
"Wait lord Inuyasha." Miyoga popped back onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "I have very a very important message from..."SPLAT "  
  
I don't care why your here!" Inuyasha squeezed the flea between his fingers. "Whatever it is, it can wait until in the morning! I'm tired, dammit!!" Inuyasha flicked Miyoga onto the ground and curled back up at the base of a tree. Miyoga jumped back up to Inuyasha's shoulder.  
  
"Please, i know i might have been slightly less than reliable in the past, but this is a very important matter!"  
  
"Less than reliable? Yeah right, how about coward who runs at the first sign of danger??!?"  
  
"Well....I guess you can say that....but that doesn't matter now! You're being summoned by the demon lord, you must set off immediately."  
  
"The who?" Inuyasha stood up and walked slightly away from his sleeping companions. He didn't want to wake Kagome up in case this was something serious. "OK Miyoga, you'd better explain what your talking about, cause its starting to smell pretty fishy." Miyoga looked up at the moon.  
  
"I would like to explain everything, but I'm afraid all i can tell you is that you're expected at the foot of the blaze mountain before the next new moon. If you don't show up, many lives will be in danger." Miyoga glanced over at Kagome and the others, sleeping peacefully. Inuyasha eyes widened and he gritted his teeth. He stared back at them for a second, letting the fleas words sink in. "This goes higher than us, lord Inuyasha. I can promise you this is for the greater good." Inuyasha closed his eyes and sat down slowly.  
  
"I don't give a damn about the greater good, you know that." He looked back at the camp fire one more time. "But i guess this time i really don't have a choice, and its a long walk, even though i still have about two weeks." The half demon sighed as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Tell the others that I'm sorry for not telling them about this personally, but i don't think they need to follow me."  
  
"Of course, Lord Inuyasha."  
  
"And Miyoga..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Tell Kagome.... tell her i.., well just tell her ill see her later." In a flash he disappeared into the trees. Miyoga sighed as he hoped back to the small camp. He didn't look forward to being interrogated by the others in the morning, but it was the least he could do to tell them what had happened to Inuyasha.  
  
(A/N)Well, i condensed the intros into one chapter, and tried to fix many of the errors, hope it helps  



	3. II: Destination: X

Chapter 2  
  
-Naruto Universe-  
  
He was going to kill him. It was such an obvious action, he was surprised he hadn't thought of it before. Sasuke was just going to kill Naruto, right there in the woods. His frayed nerves were hanging on by a string as Naruto started the next verse to his annoyingly loud chant. Sasuke remembered it from the academy, something the 8 year olds would sing when they were hiking.  
  
The blond ninja hadn't stopped being loud and obnoxious since leaving the village gates, and even multiple beatings from Sakura didn't keep his mouth shut...for long. Sasuke was so shocked when the singing suddenly stopped, he almost jumped.  
  
"Hey! Whats with the spooky looking cave?!?" Naruto yelled, pointing ahead of them. Sakura opened up the map they had been given and did a quick scan of their surroundings.  
  
"This must be the cave we go through. It's marked here on the map."  
  
"What?? No way am i going in the creepy thing!!"  
  
"We don't have a choice! It's a mission, not a field trip!" Sakura punched Naruto in the back of the head, sending him tumbling into the mouth of the cave. Sasuke hitched up his backpack and walked past the prone Naruto into the cave, but Sakura stopped at the entrance. "Do you guys feel that..?"  
  
"Eh??"Naruto sniffed, then raised his hand "It wasn't me!"  
  
"Not smell!!! idiot!" She sent him flying in the other direction.  
  
"Maybe you're imagining things.." Sasuke offered, standing slightly inside. "I can't sense anything from in here."  
  
"You worry too much Sakura-Chan!!!" Naruto yelled happily as he rushed past her back into the cave, his face slightly swollen from her last punch.  
  
"I guess your right...." She glanced at the cave one more time, then followed her teammates. She felt a strange chill as she walked through the opening, but after that it was gone. "Maybe i am just imagining things.." She thought.  
  
--------------------------  
  
-??? Universe-  
  
Nearly half an hour later, Naruto, followed by Sasuke and Sakura emerged from the other side of the cave. Naruto ran out and took a large breath of fresh air.  
"AHH! It's great to be outside again!" He ran around in the grass for a few moments while Sakura and Sasuke caught up. Naruto was about to say something else when he noticed the serious expression on his teammates faces. "Hey! Hey! Whats going on??" He followed their gazes into the trees. "I don't see anything...just trees!!"  
  
"Exactly..." Sasuke scowled deeper. "But Ive never seen these kind of trees before, and that cave didn't take us far enough to go out of Konoha." Naruto tilted his head while staring into the trees. "Something isn't right.." Sasuke kept scanning the trees, expecting some kind of ambush. He remembered Sakura having a weird feeling about the cave, and maybe she had been right...  
  
"I cant tell the difference! Their just trees!" Naruto yelled, pointing at the woods. Sakura sighed and consulted the map.  
  
"This looks like the general terrain from the map. If we just keep going at an average pace, well be to the X on the map in less than half an hour."  
  
"Lets go then!" Naruto sped off into the forest, disappearing from view.  
  
"Idiot! We can get separated!" Sakura sped off after him, screaming at him every step of the way. Sasuke disappeared from view, melting into the trees. If they were being followed, those two would definitely lure the pursuers into a false sense of security...although having them on his team, maybe it wasn't really that false.  
  
He jumped through the trees, keeping a close tail on his team, while scanning the surroundings. He took a quick jump to the top of the tree line to scan ahead, and almost fell back down. Not his proudest moment. He steadied himself and took another look. Not very far in front of them, about the distance they were from the X on the map, stood a large tower in a small clearing. What had startled him was that he couldn't see the top.  
It seemed to stretch on forever, up into the clouds. Sasuke's eyes widened as he remembered what Sakura had read off of the map earlier; "Theres just an X and then directions that say 'go up.." Sasuke stared up into the sky, the height of it left him in awe, as the voices of his fellow Gennins echoed through the trees.  
  
"What the hell is that!???!??? It's HUGE!!!!"  
  
-??? Universe-  
  
Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama all stood with their mouths slightly gaping as their necks tilted up. Yusuke double checked the map with the directions for the fourth time; directions through some creepy cave to a spot in the woods in the middle of nowhere, then just the words: go up. He looked back up at the impossibly tall tower, which disappeared into the clouds, and a large sweat drop appeared on the back of his head.  
  
"That hag has got to be jerking our chains here..i mean, this is seriously a joke right?" He laughed, looking over at Kurama, who wore an unsettlingly serious look.  
  
"Do you feel that Hiei?" Kuwabara and Yusuke gave the demons a blank look as Hiei nodded with a grunt.  
  
"I feel it. Some kind of mystical energy coming from this thing, like its countless years old..." He looked up toward the sky. "And the energy signatures coming from the top of this thing...though faint because of the distance...are unimaginably powerful."  
  
"You know its time to worry when even Hiei is creeped out." Kuwabara took another look at the tower, focusing his sixth sense. "Whoa! i see what you guys mean!"  
  
"It sucks to be left out of the loop." Yusuke grumbled. "I don't sense squat from the stupid stick in the ground, but i do sense something coming from the top, but just barley..." He folded up the map and stuck it in his belt.(A/N: Yusuke is wearing his dark tournament gear, the shirt and baggy pants, not the cramped school uniform, Kuwabara has similar) "Well, we wont get crap done sitting around here flapping our gums will we?" He took a step back, and jumped onto the tower, getting hand and foot holds in the intricate carvings along the face of the pole.  
  
"Don't be stupid Uremeshi! We can't possibly climb to the top of this thing!"  
  
"Speak for yourself simpleton." Hiei suddenly disappeared, reappearing about twice as high on the tower as Yusuke. "I'll meet you all at the top!" He did the same thing three more times and was out of sight.  
  
"Thats Hiei for you." Kurama started his trek upward much like Yusuke, searching out hand and foot holds in the markings, leaving a dumbfounded Kuwabara standing under them, staring up at the clouds with a defeated look.  
  
"Theres no way...." He continued complaining as he did his best to follow his three teammates, although much more slowly, since he was still carrying his overly large bag over his shoulder. "I'll teach you punks to leave me behind! No one ditches Kazuma Kuwabara!" He shook a fist skyward, and fell back down to the ground.  
"This is gonna be a long day..." 


	4. III: Up, Up, Up, and Up

-Chapter 3-  
  
-??? Universe-  
  
Inuyasha gasped for air as he dug his claws into the carved surface, trying to get a hold that would allow him time to recover. He mentally cursed himself for not pacing his run up the tower, but he had forgotten to figure in how thin the air got at this high of an altitude. He had been running straight up the side at full speed, trying to make good time. He looked back down, trying to gauge the distance he had climbed. Tetsusaiga dangled at his waist as he squinted to make out the ground through the clouds.  
  
"Just how big is this darned thing?" He yelled at no one. "Screw this, I'm not getting beaten by a dumb stack of bricks.." He pushed one hand upward, finding another hand hold, and started his climb again, more slowly this time. His muscles were slowly becoming used to the thin air, but it would take more time and work for them to get to full strength. "This would make a great workout." He thought out loud. "Too bad quitting means falling down...theres no way i could make it all the way back in this condition.." He shook some stray hair from his face and continued climbing, unaware of the time or his surroundings, just focusing his muscles and making them go up. "Remind me to kill Myoga next time i see him..."  
  
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"Wow, this is pretty cool!" Naruto swung from the make shift harness like he was on a swing set.  
  
"Stop that! You don't know if the Kunais will hold!" Sakura tried frantically to catch one of the ropes connected to Naruto's swinging seat.  
  
"What?? You mean i would fall all the way down there?!?" Naruto latched onto the tower as he swung past it, and held on for dear life.  
  
"Didn't you think of that when you saw how high we were??"  
  
"Well, not really..." Sakura sighed as she glanced down past her feet as they swung in the open air. Before their climb, she had rigged up three hammocks with the rope and Kunais they had brought with them, just in case it were a higher climb than it had looked. It was.  
  
"Just try to stay still for a while, you need to regain your chakra quickly so we can continue climbing as soon as possible. That wont happen if you keep fidgeting like a little kid!"  
  
"But my chakra's fine! I don't see why we had to stop so soon..." Naruto pouted as he slowly let go of the pole and swung slowly back around into a sitting position. Sakura didn't really have a response to that. She hadn't wanted to slow them down, but once her reserves were almost spent, it would be dangerous to go on without a rest. She had been grateful when Sasuke had suggested the break, although she imagined he was just as well off as Naruto, and had stopped for her. She hated to be a burden, but at least Sasuke did something nice for her.  
  
"It's not our fault you some kind of stamina junkie." Sasuke made his first contribution to the conversation since they had stopped. "If I'm not mistaken, Sakura is almost completely drained, and to tell the truth...im not terribly far behind her." Sasuke's scowl seemed to deepen, if that was possible, as he admitted this.  
  
"Who are you calling a junkie??" Naruto kicked off from the tower and tried to take a swing at Sasuke as he came around, but managed to tangle himself up before he got there. "Ah!! Get me down! Get me down!"  
  
"At least now i can get some rest.." Sasuke closed his eyes and rested his head back against the face of the tower. He was inwardly troubled by Naruto's words. It was true Sakura didn't have near as much stamina as Sasuke or Naruto, but she had been managing her chakra carefully, taking into account the thinning air and her tiring muscles. He didn't really like to admit it, but Sakura was much more talented then him in these areas. He had been constantly increasing his chakra output as they had climbed higher, compensating for exhaustion, but he hadn't taken their altitude into consideration, a fatal mistake if it weren't for the makeshift beds Sakura had produced. He highly doubted that Naruto would make the same connection though, but he didn't seem to have broken a sweat.  
  
"Hey, your creeping me out Sasuke!" Naruto broke Sasuke out of his train of thought, and he realized he had been staring at Naruto while thinking.  
  
"Be quiet and get some sleep." Sasuke turned the other way and closed his eyes. He could finish his thoughts when the resumed their trek.  
  
"I cant sleep like this!!!" Naruto tried to untangle himself once more, and managed to get his leg tied above his head. "Aww man..."  
  
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"You can't get away from me Uremeshi!" Kuwabara lunged up a few more feet, reaching for the place were Yusuke's foot had been seconds before.  
  
"Ohhh, so close!" Yusuke scampered up just out of Kuwabara's grasp. "You've got to do better than that! Hahahaha!" Kuwabara growled and lunged one more time, still barley missing his target.  
  
"Get back here and take your beating like a man! You little sissy! Then we'll see who you call a slowpoke mama's boy! And for you're information i do NOT wet the bed!" Yusuke barely missed Kuwabara's next attempt, he was having a hard time concentrating from all the laughing he was doing.  
  
"It's amazing how carefree they are..." Kurama laughed as his teammates continued their chase past him. "As long as Kuwabara doesn't look down, i think we can make good time before we have to take another break."  
  
"Look down at wha..AHH!!" Kuwabara wrapped his arms around the pole. "Jeez! Thats really high! This ain't funny anymore Uremeshi, we cant just keep going up. What if there isn't anything up there? You expect me to climb all the way back down there!"  
  
"Put some faith in the old hag." Yusuke stopped to look down at Kuwabara. "She told us to climb, so were gonna climb, got a problem with that?"  
  
"Well, yeah, a few, but i guess it doesn't really matter now...." He started to inch his way up again, but much more slowly.  
  
"If it's alright with you, Yusuke, i would like to go ahead and look for Hiei. It's been a while since we began climbing, and we haven't seen any sign of him."  
  
"Sure thing Kurama, you go on, we can handle things on our end down here."  
  
"Run ahead?? What the heck are you talking about? How the heck do you expect to catch up to that speed freak??"  
  
"If it's really fine with you..." Kurama waited for a final nod from Yusuke before he disappeared in a flash, similar to Hiei.  
  
"Whoa! Hey, how come we cant do that? Is it, like, a demon only thing or something?"  
  
"Nah, just a non-bed wetting mommas boy slow poke way!" Yusuke laughed down at Kuwabara.  
  
"That's it! You're dead Uremeshi!! And when i kill ya, I'm gonna go to the spirit world and kill your ghost!" They both re-started their race upward.  
  
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(A/N) Well, the next chapter should have an end to the excessive climbing, and maybe some actual cross-overs (who would of thought, huh?). We'll find out who gets to the top first(Not kuwabara....)Kuwabara: "Hey!", whats waiting for them at the top(Not Disney land...)Naruto:"Awww...", and what it all means..(Their not on Candid Camera...)Hiei: "Is this supposed to be funny...?" 


	5. IV: And the Winner Is

(A/N) I changed the rating to humor..i like to think this story is funnier than it is dramatic...you be the judge..  
  
-Chapter 4-  
  
Kurama caught another foot hold and jumped up another few yards, judging the distance and landing right in another foot hold, and launching himself up again. He didn't like abandoning his human comrades, but he knew this wasn't the best place for Hiei to go alone. Although he had yet to tell the others, Kurama knew exactly where they were. He had been here before, or rather, Yoko Kurama had been here, in search of the fabled water at the top that was supposed to increase ones strength.  
  
It had seemed like a good relic for his collection, but the lead had turned out false, as did most human myths. What was bothering him, though, was the presence he had felt above the holding place of the water, almost like some sort of deity, much like Koenma, radiating from it. After the enormous powers they had sensed from the bottom, he didn't want Hiei to bite off more than he could chew, something Hiei seemed to have a habit for, starting with their first meeting. Kurama was so lost in his thoughts, that he almost didn't hear the voices falling from above.  
  
"Were almost there, i can feel it!"  
  
"You said that six hours ago!!!"  
  
"It's different this time, my ninja instincts are never wrong!"  
  
"Unlike last time?"  
  
"Hey! I said it's different this time!" Kurama stopped fast and disappeared around the side. He took a quick look out to asses his new acquaintances. The one in the lead, the one talking the loudest, was a small boy with spiky blond hair, and a bright orange jump suit. Trailing behind him was a scowling boy in a dark blue shirt and white shorts who had yet to speak. The last of the trio was a small girl, who seemed about the same age as the rest, with pink hair and clothes.  
  
"I don't see why we were sent to climb this dumb tower for training." The blond one yelled back to the others in a whiny voice. "We climbed trees with Kakashi Sensei already."  
  
"Well, it seems to me like this is more of a test." The pink haired girl suggested, still walking carefully upward. "We were supposed to get some kind of special training, and we end up climbing this thing. I suppose if this training is so special, not just anyone can take it, so they have to climb up to it first." Kurama was impressed, He had reached the same conclusion, but he highly doubted Yusuke or Kuwabara had noted it as such. Although he hoped he wasn't giving him enough credit, he doubted Hiei had bothered to give it a second thought.  
  
"Your so smart, Sakura Chan!" The front one yelled happily back to the girl, leaving her scowling back up at him.  
  
"Why is it always Naruto who says something, and not Sasuke.." Sakura growled under her breath. Kurama was tempted to wait longer, to hear more, it had been another shock to learn that others were coming for the same training as them, but he had been sidetracked, he was supposed to be looking for Hiei. He leapt up the opposite side of the tower, quickly leaving them far behind in the slowly darkening sky. Sasuke glanced around, noting that the presence that had been catching up to them had passed them. He had decided calling attention to it would be a wasted effort, he sensed no killing intent, best to let it go its way.  
  
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Hiei continued bounding upward, ignoring the stitch in his side, and his heavy breathing. The thin air did make it harder to run vertically like this, but he wasn't going to let something like that stop him. Focused on where he was going, he noticed a spot above him. As he leapt higher, it started to take on some definition, until he could tell it was a person climbing above him. He approached cautiously, not slowing down allot, but just enough to stop when he reached his target.  
  
"Who the..?" Inuyasha was surprised to see someone land next to him. It looked like a person, dressed in black, with a sword hanging at their side (Hiei is in his stuffy looking pre-tournament clothes..so un cool...--).  
  
"Same question." Hiei quickly analyzed the demon hanging beside him. Thats what it had to be, a demon, a dog demon from the looks of it. "What are you doing here, and the answer better be to my liking." He quickly unsheathed his sword and took a place higher on the tower, slightly blocking His opponents way.  
  
"Refresh my memory, why should i be answering to you? I was here first!" Inuyasha pulled his own sword from it's sheath.  
  
"Are you going to defend yourself with that piece of junk?" Hiei laughed, "It's almost like your mocking me."  
  
"Thats right, so what if i am??" Inuyasha transformed Tetsusaiga, and swung it at the surprised Hiei, who quickly brought his own sword up to block. He was given another shock when he began to get pushed back, or in this case, up.  
  
"So you have a few surprises?" Hiei jumped away from the others reach. "It just shows that I was careless. I hope you were paying attention, because you will never get to see that happen again." Hiei got back into position for another attack.  
  
"Just what do you want anyway?" Inuyasha kept his sword up, guarding from any sudden attacks. "Are you the guardian of this place or something?"  
  
"Guardian? Heh, no, I'm afraid not. I have business here. I was hoping to have a few questions answered about the place myself." Hiei slightly loosened his guard. This person should be no threat, they were as clueless as the boneheads he had brought with him.  
  
"You sure have a funny way of asking for a favor. Now if were done here, get out of my way!" Inuyasha sliced the Tetsusaiga at Hiei, and a shock-wave of energy caught the demon off guard, allowing Inuyasha an opening to jump past. He was rested from his slow climb, and his muscles were adjusting to the air.  
  
"Not so fast fool!" Hiei rushed after him, but was annoyed to find that it took most of what he had to stay even with his prey. It seemed the climb had taken more out of him than he had wanted to admit. Inuyasha smirked and pushed a little harder, pulling into the lead. Hiei called up more of his reserves and came up even with him again. Both demons ran neck and neck, staring each other down as they ran, not looking for foot holes, but driving their feet into the tower, making their own path. Both had lost all thoughts of Patience or subtlety.  
  
"You're fast for a mutt!" Hiei mocked as he began to gain a slight lead.  
  
"Well your really grumpy for a gnome!" Inuyasha lashed out with his sword, which was still in hand, and Hiei dodged the blow, but was forced back into a tie.  
  
"Well then, if you want to play for keeps, how about we make it interesting?"  
  
"I'm listening!"  
  
"A race to the top."  
  
"And what do I get if I win?"  
  
"Don't worry about it, you wont!"  
  
"OK, you're on!" They both sped even faster, running full speed straight up a vertical wall, leaving dust and cloud trails as the scenery melted into a blur.  
  
----------------------------  
  
"Somethings going on up there." Sasuke peered up into the sky. He was almost certain that the view up was clearer than the one down by now.  
  
"What do you mean? Whats going on?" Sakura stopped next to him and followed his line of sight.  
  
"I'm not too sure, but allot of energy is being thrown around. Could be a fight. I should try and verify it." He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them, only now they were red with black pupils, and two small black dots. He focused his Sharingan upward, he hadn't wanted to use it while climbing, because it used up so much chakra, but they needed to know if the path was safe before moving on. The scenery zoomed by as if he had pushed the zoom button on a camera as his range of sight increased. He could make out one person above them, but the energy was coming from even farther up. He suddenly realized what else he felt. It was the large energy signals he had picked up and assumed were coming from the top. That meant they might be getting close. He turned to face the other two.  
  
"Hey, i really have to pee!!" Naruto yelled up. He had taken up the rear when Sasuke moved to the front to check things out.  
  
"Well don't tell us, just do it down there!" Sakura screamed back at him. Sasuke sighed, and waited for them both to finish so he could make his report.  
  
"HEY! What the??!?"  
  
"Huh?" All three of them looked down. a few yards under them, just coming into view, were two people making their way up the tower.  
  
"This isn't funny Uremeshi!! I think that kid just peed on me!" Maniacal laughter drifted up as the black haired boy laughed uncontrollably at his friend, who seemed to have been in the wrong place, at the worst possible time.  
  
"This is bad..." Naruto had zipped back up his pants and peered down at the two.  
  
"Thats it kid, your dead!" Kuwabara started lunging his way upward. "No one gets away with that! No one!"  
  
"Oh crap, someones chasing us!" Naruto hurriedly caught up with Sasuke and Sakura. "What do we do??"  
  
"Don't ask me, its your fault!" Sakura looked torn between panic and laughter at the bizarre situation, which still didn't seem to be a problem for the other guys friend, who managed to keep up by hanging onto the red heads belt as he held his sides laughing.  
  
"Run for it!" Naruto sped up past his teammates, not really thinking about where he was running to, just that he was in trouble again.  
  
"Wait..." Sasuke started to say something, when Kuwabara zoomed past them, hot on Naruto's trail. Yusuke had hung back to let his laughter pangs die down.  
  
"Don't worry about your friend." They both looked down in surprise when they heard him talk. "Kuwabara is harmless, hes just a big dope, and really good for a laugh." Sasuke glanced back up, where both of them had almost disappeared from view. At least they would find out how close they were to the top...  
  
----------------------------  
  
Naruto was trying to keeps his chakra balanced out while still running flat out as fast as he could. The guy below him didn't seem too happy, and that was a terrible understatement.  
  
"Little punk, you know how much shampoo it's gonna take to get this smell out??" Kuwabara had started using his spirit swords as spikes, to help him climb faster.  
  
"I didn't mean to pee on your stupid head! Stop chasing me!" Naruto struggled to make his ascent faster, but Kuwabara's swords were giving him the advantage. Suddenly, Naruto had an idea. He channeled chakra into his hands, and tried running upward on all fours, using his hands and feet to push himself along. He was nearly caught before he got the hang of alternating his chakra, and then he speed out of reach, slowly pulling away from his pursuer.  
  
----------------------------  
  
Inuyasha tried to keep his breathing steady, but this guy was wearing him down. They both managed to stay even with each other, mostly out of sheer will power, but they had both slowed down allot since their race had begun. "Ready to give up?" He yelled, trying to distract Hiei.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you." Hiei strained to keep his pounding muscles working. "Oh, wait, my mistake, I'm not sorry."  
  
"Keep talking big, little man, I'm gonna...huh?" He glanced down, and noticed someone gaining on them.  
  
"Stupid kid!"  
  
"Get away you weirdo, you smell!"  
  
"Who's fault do you think that is???" Naruto and Kuwabara's chase had led them up so fast they had caught up to Hiei and Inuyasha's private race. Hiei risked a quick glance upward, and was shocked to realize there was something above them. Just barley visible, a round structure loomed closer.  
  
"Looks like the home stretch!" Inuyasha laughed as he dug his claws into the hard surface and pushed off again.  
  
"I guess it's time to see what your made of!" Hiei called back. The white bandage around Hiei's forehead flew off into the sky. "I hate to tell you this, but I've been giving you a handicap!" Inuyasha stared as an eye on Hiei's forehead began to glow,and suddenly the demon dashed ahead, filled with new energy.  
  
"Crap!" Inuyasha watched as Hiei took off, disappearing near the large round chamber. He took on last big breath and leapt upward, sailing through an opening in the floor. He landed with a thud on a hard marble floor, the victor of their race standing to the side, smirking.  
  
"To be fair, i did warn you." Hiei wrapped the headband back over his third eye.  
  
"Next time..'pant'..your mine!" Inuyasha smirked back and he slumped against a wall, catching his breath.  
  
"Ah!" Naruto came tearing through the opening in the floor, not realizing until too late that there was nothing under his feet. He spun around and crashed into the far wall, and lay there panting.  
  
"I've got you now!" Kuwabara pulled himself up. "When i get a hold of you...Hiei??" Kuwabara's anger turned to shock as he noticed the demon regarding him with a scowl.  
  
"Well, you were the last person i was expecting to come up after me. Where is Kurama?"  
  
"You mean hes not with you?" Kuwabara was surprised at the stunned look on Hiei's face.  
  
"Where could he.." Hiei was cut short.  
  
"I suppose i should have stopped to say hello, but you were caught up in your race." Kurama came walking down a flight of stairs coming down from the ceiling. Hiei smirked once again as the fox reached them.  
  
"How foolish of me, i should have known you would be first."  
  
"Where are the others?" Kurama asked, looking over to Kuwabara. "Are Yusuke and the other boy's friends almost up?"  
  
"Uhh, i never thought to check.." Kuwabara admitted sheepishly.  
  
"Hey Naruto! Are you in here?" Sakura's voice came up through the hole.  
  
"Kuwabara! If you're beating up on little kids I'm telling Yukina!" Yusuke laughed as he pulled himself up to join his friends.  
  
"Uremeshi! I knew you would make it soon!" Kuwabara laughed. Naruto pulled himself up from his heap on the floor.  
  
"Ugh. Sakura Chan?" He shook off his dizziness and climbed to his feet as Sasuke's head cautiously came into view. He stopped for a second when he saw all of the others gathered around, but decided there were no imminent threats, and pulled himself up, helping Sakura through after him.  
  
"If i am not mistaken." Kurama called on everyone's attention. "Everyone who was climbing has reached this place."  
  
"Where ever 'this place' is." Kuwabara looked toward the stairs as a noise brought everyone's eyes to them.  
  
"'This place' is my home, thank you very much." Everyone stood dumbfounded as a small, white, fluffy cat holding a cane descended the stair case.  
  
"Wow! A talking kitty!"  
  
"Try to pay attention Kuwabara.." Yusuke sighed at his friend's attraction to anything that had to do with cats.  
  
"More accurately, It's name is Korin." This time it was Yusuke and his team who were dumbfounded.  
  
"How the heck do you know that Kurama?" Kuwabara sounded a little on edge.  
  
"I think the place for introductions and explanations would be a little farther up." Korin tapped his cane on the floor to emphasize his words.  
  
"Uh, sure..." Everyone, who were still a little too shocked to argue, followed the cat up the stairs. Inuyasha suddenly gaged and held his nose.  
  
"Gah, what smells like pee?"  
  
"Darn-it!"  
  
----------------------------  
  
(A/N) i know i know, not everything is explained, but if you don't know where they are by now...well...then i have a couple of not nice things to say about your intelligence (just kidding ). We actually get plot in the next chapter! Isn't that exciting! Plot! OMG! Ill have the next chapter up as soon as i figure out what that is... ((Opens dictionary to 'P'"))


	6. V: Need for Balance

(A/N) Before i start this chapter, i really want to acknowledge those of you who have reviewed. (I would like to acknowledge everyone who read it, but i don't know who you are!!!)

Forgive the long A/N in this chapter!!!  
  
The Hitokiri Battousai (3 reviews): Thanks for the heads up on the spelling. It's Korin's tower, but don't worry you wont need to know it for long...  
  
Kim (Unsigned, 2): Yeah, Naruto is fun to write as an idiot...but hes just having fun. And yes, yes I a loony.  
  
Final Saber (2): Heh, if you haven't noticed, Naruto is my favorite too, so i tend to spend more time on him..but ill try to keep it fair. I've taken you and a friends advice, and i added the short chapters together, to make it a little better, and i now try to keep my chapters fairly long (at least as long as the ones i have now, or longer)  
  
Suuki-Aldrea (2): I'm sorry about ignoring most peoples anime requests. After posting that you should make some requests, i kinda decided not many would fit into the plot how i wanted them too. If i write another cross over, ill throw in Ranma, and probably Tenchi, i like them too much to not do anything with them.  
  
Peter Kim (Unsigned 1): Are you Kim? just wondering.. as stated above, sorry about the lack of new animes. NWC? I'm not to swift, you have to excuse me sometimes..  
  
Idypebsaby (2): Wow, you were doing it almost by chapter there at the beginning. I miss that, Lol. But to answer your concern about Genkai, she is alive after wards..i skipped a few episodes around the very end of the DT, so I'm not too clear on the details, but shes back. I can understand what you mean about the editing, plenty of good animes are turned into sesame street when they reach America. Sadly, i believe one piece may join those ranks, we might have to wait and see. I haven't had a chance to watch an English episode, but its on the Fox Box...thats not a good sign....  
  
GamingGuy84 (1 and an email, thanks for getting in touch!): I've updated, if your reading this, heh. I hope reading this makes you want to find out about the characters you don't know, all of the ones in this story are great mangas/animes, and worth getting a hold of. (but, in my opinion, the original DB manga is the best :p)  
  
OK! Thanks for listening to me rant for a minute there (And to those of you who just scrolled past it, shame on you! That's cheating)  
OK, on with the show!"This is a story!" Shut up voice!!  
  
-----------------------------------------  
  
-Chapter 5-  
  
-DBZ Universe-  
  
Everyone on Korin's Tower made a jagged looking circle around the cat, waiting for what they had come there for.  
  
"First of all," Korin looked up at all of the expectant faces. "We should all introduce ourselves." He pointed his stick at Kurama first. "You can start, since this isn't your first visit." Kurama looked startled. "Ha, didn't think i would recognize you in your new skin eh? You have to wake up pretty early to pull one over on Korin."  
  
"My apologies." Kurama bowed to their host. "I had no intention to deceive you, I merely opted for a costume change." He said lightly, smiling at the crowd. "It's nice to meet you all. My name is Kurama. At least, thats the name i go by when on business." He gestured toward Hiei, knowing his friend would not volunteer his turn.  
  
"Hiei." He nodded for the next person to go. Kurama laughed slightly at his abruptness.  
  
"Oi! I'll go!" Naruto waved his hand in the air from his sitting position on the floor. He pointed to his chest. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Number one ninja, and soon to be Hokage of Konoha village!" He grinned proudly as he adjusted his headband to be more visible. Sakura sighed and Sasuke remained silent.  
  
"Kazuma Kuwabara!" Kuwabara stepped forward, and took his best tough guy pose. He would have felt more confidant if his hair weren't soaked from washing it off in one of the barrels lying around. "Slayer of demons, rescuer of damsels in distress!" He shifted to what he thought was his second best tough guy pose.  
  
"Really moving." Inuyasha scowled at the large red head. "Inuyasha, half demon. Why don't you try to slay me?" He flexed his claws threateningly.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, cool it down guys." Yusuke came forward, stepping in between the two.  
  
"He's askin' for it Uremeshi!" Kuwabara glared around Yusuke at the still smirking dog demon.  
  
"Just drop it will ya?" Yusuke sighed as his friend retreated back to his place, grumbling the whole time. He looked around at the group. "Yusuke Uremeshi, slayer of all bad guys, rescuer of the planet." He smirked at Kuwabara, who growled at him for stealing his lines.  
  
"I believe we haven't heard your names yet." Kurama gestured to Sakura and Sasuke, who seemed to be sitting out of the way. He gave Sakura a disarming smile "Would you do us the pleasure of telling us your name, ma'am?" She blushed for a second, then took a breath and stepped forward.  
  
"Haruno Sakura, pleased to meet you all." She bowed and glanced over to Sasuke, who didn't seem to want to talk. He sat their for a few seconds, until the eyes of everyone in the room started to annoy him, so he spoke up.  
  
"Uchiha, Sasuke." He stepped back to where he was, satisfied that his turn was over.  
  
"Well, now that thats over, i believe you are all wanted up top." Korin gestured with his cane skyward.  
  
"You got an elevator in this shack or something?" Kuwabara looked around dubiously, looking for some kind of door or stairway.  
  
"Heavens no, were taking the much quicker way." Korin tapped his cane on the floor.  
  
"What quicker wa..Wow! Were outside!" After the tap from Korin, the small room was replaced with a wide open area, with a row of palm trees swaying in the strong breeze. In the middle of the platform sat what looked like a small palace.  
  
"Cool, this place looks awesome!" Naruto ran around inspecting the new locale. He started to run over to some weird looking trees when everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to face the entrance of the building.  
  
"Some kind of enormous power..!" Kurama was so shocked that he barley got the words out. Four figures emerged from the opening. Two looked normal, one with spiky hair and and orange and blue GI, the other with pointy hair, a high forehead, and a blue body suit with white armor. The third one, in the back, was green with two antenna on his forehead, with a large white cape and turban. Everyone just stared when the three people came to a stop in front of them, at a loss for words.  
  
"I hate to rush things." The man with the orange/blue GI stepped forward. "But since this is important, we need to get introductions out of the way. We know your names, because we were watching you since you came to the base of Korin's tower. My name is Goku, this is Vegeta, and Piccolo." He pointed to everyone in turn. "Piccolo is a Namek, which is why his skin is green, just to clear that up." He laughed at Piccolo's disgruntled look. Vegeta stepped forward and pushed Goku behind him.  
  
"Lets get to the point, Kakarott. This isn't the time." He turned to glare at the group in front of him. "You're all hear for training because you are weak. It's going to be the the Three of us training you, so shut up and get in line, I want to get this over with quickly."  
  
"Hold on Vegeta!" Goku stepped up beside him. "We have to tell them whats going on, they deserve to know."  
  
"Fine, do whatever you want. But I get first pick, for having to listen to your incessant blabbering." Vegeta fumed, looking up at Goku.  
  
"But i really wanted to go first..."  
  
"Fine, than do without me!"  
  
"OK, OK! You can go first. Jeez, what a baby..." Goku sighed, then looked back to the others, who watched in a stunned silence, not really sure how to react to the whole thing.  
  
"I'll explain." Piccolo stepped in front of them both, and scanned the crowd, meeting everyones eyes. "You are all here because of an imbalance. In case you haven't realized it yet, the place you are now is a different universe from the ones you come from. I'm sure you all remember the cave you came though. That was a portal set up by the Supreme Kai, to guide you all here, and Climbing the tower was your first test, to prove you were worthy of the training."  
  
"Hold on a minute. Why should we come here and train?" Inuyasha pushed to the front, and glared at Piccolo. "I was told to come here because people might be in danger, but if this is just about training, then I'm gone!"  
  
"There is a danger, thats what you all have to train for." Piccolo growled down at the dog demon. "The imbalance comes from a difference in power distributed between the different universes. Our universe was gaining too much power, and after the imbalance had grown out of control, it caused a rift, and some people escaped into the other universes. Some very bad people. The rift opened up right in the middle of Hell, and all of the villains we have killed in the past are going to be running around destroying your worlds in a matter of hours."  
  
"What makes you think we need training to handle our world?" Hiei demanded. "And if you killed them before, then their your problem, why don't you go take care of them?"  
  
"You think it's that simple? If we beat them again, whats to stop them from coming back through the same way? We don't know how they made the rift, but we do know that the imbalance is what allowed it to happen. If it keeps up, more and more of these rifts could occur, and we have no idea what could happen to the fabric of the universe in a situation like that.."  
  
"Hey, hey!" Naruto jumped up. "So your saying you're gonna train us to be as strong as you guys?"  
  
"Thats not possible you little twerp." Kuwabara hit Naruto in the back of the head. "Can't you tell how strong they are?? We could never catch up to those guys in a million years!"  
  
"Let alone a few hours..." Sakura spoke up for the first time. "You told us that it would be a matter of hours until they reached our world, if we stay here long enough to train, then it will be too late."  
  
"We've got that covered." Goku smiled as he gestured to the large building. "Your training here will only take one day, buy you'll each get a years worth."  
  
"A year in a day..?" Yusuke shook his head. "I would have to see it to believe it."  
  
"So if we don't get strong enough to beat these bad guys, then everyone will be in big trouble.. right?" Naruto tried to grasp the situation.  
  
"Thats the gist of it, yeah."  
  
"If were done here..." Vegeta walked back to the front of the group. "I would like to pick my team and get going."  
  
"What does he mean team?" Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"Oh yeah, Piccolo didn't mention it, but the three of us will be taking you out in teams, to get the best training out of the time we have. We already have some groups picked out, but the rest of you will get picked by us, one by one."  
  
"Aww man, gym class all over again." Yusuke slumped against one of the palm trees.  
  
"I always got picked last for gym in kindergarten" Kuwabara complained.  
  
"Well I always skipped gym." Yusuke looked up at his friend. "So let me know if i do anything wrong..."  
  
"Alright, I'm picking first." Vegeta called everybody's attention.  
  
"I can't believe were going along with this." Inuyasha grumbled in the back. Hiei murmured in agreement.  
  
"Stop your whining, half-breed." Vegeta smirked as Inuyasha growled at his comment. "It just so happens your coming with me." He jabbed his thumb at the space behind him.  
  
"This is just great." Inuyasha sulked all the way over to stand behind Vegeta. "I feel like I'm in grade school."  
  
"Alright, my turn." Goku looked over the group. "I think I'll go with Kurama first." Goku waved him over.  
  
"Good luck Kurama." Yusuke whispered as he walked past.  
  
"Alright. You, the girl." Piccolo pointed at Sakura.  
  
"ME??" Sakura was stunned for a moment.  
  
"What?? I get picked after Sakura-Chan???" Naruto hung his head.  
  
"Yes, you, now get over here." Piccolo grunted impatiently. Sakura meekly walked over to stand behind Piccolo.  
  
"The Namek seems to have a thing for little kids." Vegeta scoffed.  
  
"Just wait till the training is over, Vegeta." Piccolo didn't bother to look over. "We'll see all of their potential unlocked."  
  
"If you say so." Vegeta shook his head. "You, three eyes. You're next." Hiei disappeared, and reappeared next to Inuyasha.  
  
"I was looking forward to a rematch." Hiei smirked  
  
"Happy to oblige." Inuyasha growled back.  
  
"OK, next..." Goku made a show of looking thoughtful. "I think I'll take Naruto!"  
  
"Yeah! In your face Sasuke!" Naruto laughed as he ran over. "I bet you get picked last!"  
  
"Mmph...." Sasuke looked away.  
  
"OK, Uremeshi." Piccolo called him over.  
  
"This should be interesting..." Yusuke stared at Piccolos green skin and antenna.  
  
"Alright, the last brat over there, your mine too." Vegeta gestured to Sasuke. Sasuke stood where he was for a moment, looking over the others in Vegeta's group. He mumbled something, and walked over silently.  
  
"I hope you do well, Sasuke!" Sakura called over sheepishly. He just grunted again, as he walked over to stand behind the rest.  
  
"Alright, i guess I'm going with this guy." Kuwabara started forward.  
  
"Sorry, i think I'm good." Goku replied apologetically.  
  
"What??"  
  
"You're going with me." piccolo ordered.  
  
"You mean I'm training with Uremeshi? Aww man, i wanted to fight with some strong guys."  
  
"You saying I'm not strong? Who wins every time we fight?"  
  
"Oh be quiet." Kuwabara growled as he walked over. "I have to train with Uremeshi and some little girl.." He looked over at Sakura, who took a step back. "Eh? Oh, I'm sorry, i didn't mean..uh, aw crud, I'm not good with talking to girls.."  
  
"Ok, were all set, we had better get a move on." Goku started toward the building.  
  
-------------------------  
  
Everyone gathered around a large brown door at the end of a hallway.  
  
"Alright, this is the Hyperbolic Time Chamber." Goku stood in front of the door. "One day of real time is a year inside. But its tough in there, so it will take serious endurance to make it out the whole year. And with the intense training we'll be undertaking, it will be even rougher." He placed his hand on a dial on the door. "Now, this is a new addition to the room made especially for you guys by Dende. When you turn the switch, it changes the dimension the room enters into, so we can each have a whole world to ourselves to train on."  
  
"Wow, this sounds deep." Kuwabara whispered to Yusuke. "You think were up for this?"  
  
"No problem. It'll be a piece of cake. Imagine what we can get done in a whole year."  
  
"Alright, Goku's group is going in first." Piccolo opened the door. They couldn't see anything inside but white.  
  
"Wish us luck guys!" Goku stepped in.  
  
"I'll see you when i return." Kurama bid farewell to his teammates.  
  
"Wait, you mean it will be a year till i see everyone again!?" Naruto just realized what was going on. "Wait, i changed my mind!" Vegeta stepped over and picked Naruto up by the back of his jacket and threw him in after the others kicking and screaming and closed the door behind him. Everyone just stared at him.  
  
"He was taking too long, I'm next." Was all he offered.  
  
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(A/N) Alright, I cant wait till i get done with the next chapter, i think it'll be great! We get to see everyone training their hardest in the time chamber, and maybe a few characters find out some other things...rambles on incoherently for a few minutes, go get a snack or use the bathroom, it will take a while...........................................ok, done...so in conclusion...wait, i feel like i got ignored...oh well, anyway a lot of things happening in the next chapter, hopefully I'll cover a large portion of everyones training, because finishing their training will be just the start of it. What? you didn't think i had more plot than this? Of course i do! I haven't been reading anime and watching manga...or something like that...for so long not to learn anything . I hope you'll like it, I don't plan to end it until I'm happy with it, so it might go on for a while. Review more, and I might respond by the next chapter, but i doubt it, cause i want to try to get it out before this weekend, maybe even in about 24 hours...Keep your eyes peeled....OO note, using Byakugan is cheating...you heard me Neji! (( ;O;;O; - "rats.."))


	7. VI: Teachers and Students

(A/N) Every time i switch the setting, i will probably switch the character being focused on too, so if its sticking with one character too much, don't worry. Next time it will be someone else..  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
-Chapter 6-  
  
-Hyperbolic Time Chamber-  
  
Team Goku (Kurama,Naruto)  
  
Goku's mind was flooded with memories as he let his gaze span across the endless horizon of this dimension of nothingness. It took him back to the time he had been training Gohan, for the Cell games. When he thought about it, this was completely different from that time. He would be teaching his students all of the basics, and increasing their raw power, but most of their actual learning would be coming from each other. Goku sighed. His was the only team that had been set up before hand, although the two weren't meant to know. He was disappointed that he wouldn't be doing much with them past the beginning, but he cheered himself up with the thought of sparring with them after they had finished here. It would be incredible.  
  
"This place feels very strange." Kurama stepped lightly out into the white void that was the floor of the time chamber. His knees buckled slightly, and he had to brace himself so he did not fall over. "Not only is the gravity much higher than earth, but the oxygen is thinner, and the atmosphere thicker. This is truly a terrifying place..."  
  
"Goku-Sensei!" Naruto came up behind Goku, casually watching Kurama test the new training grounds.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Um, i was wondering if we would be doing a special kind of training here, kind of like how we had to climb trees with Kakashi-Sensei one time."  
  
"Special training?" Goku thought a moment for the best way to phrase it. "You will be getting some special training, but first, were going to expand your limits. Also, were going to be re-learning the basics, which, in this place, is not as simple as it might sound." He left the steps, feeling the familiar yet unable-to-get-used-to feeling of being in this dimension cover him like a blanket. "Come on Naruto, we have to start soon, we need to make as much out of the time we have in here as we can." He gestured for the boy to follow them down. Naruto nodded in agreement and started to walk forward to join them. The moment he stepped off of the platform, however, he fell over flat on his face.  
  
"Ow! What is this??" Naruto struggled to pull his face off of the floor, being completely unused to this kind of gravity.  
  
"Oh, i guess i should have warned you about the gravity in here, it shifts though, so be careful, it can swing wildly, as well as the air temperature"  
  
"That would have been nice to know before..." Naruto managed to pull himself to his knees. "How do you expect us to train in a place we can barley walk?"  
  
"If you can master walking, and even basic fighting skills in this kind of environment, imagine how much it would improve your speed and strength back outside." Kurama pointed out to Naruto, as he held out a hand to help him up.  
  
"I guess that makes sense." Naruto reached out and grabbed Kurama's hand. The moment they touched, however, they both froze in place, as if stunned. A red energy flowed out of Naruto's body and up his arm, to meet a blue energy that had swam down from Kurama. The two seemed to flow around each other, before disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. Kurama wrenched his hand free and fell backward into a sitting position.  
  
"You...a Fox..?" Kurama managed to get out in between surprised gasps for air. His eye's widened as he looked at the other boy.  
  
"What!? What just happened?" Naruto looked at his hand as if it were on fire. "The Kyubii, it did something without me!" He jerked his head around to stare at Kurama. "You're like me...I can tell somehow." Goku merely stood aside and watched as his two students discovered each others secrets. It was sooner than he would have done it, but it needed to be done.  
  
"I would have never suspected. Another Fox, and one like me." Kurama's look of shock had changed to one of awe. "Tell me, how did you end up a human?" Naruto shifted uncomfortably under the others intense gaze, but looked him in the eye and replied fiercely.  
  
"I was born this way! I'm not a fox! I'm a normal human!" Naruto's anger caught Kurama off guard. He sat stunned for a moment. "The fox is inside of me. It was put there when i was born. It was sealed to stop it from destroying our village!" Suddenly it was Kurama's turn to shout.  
  
"It was sealed?!? Against it's will?!" Kurama's eyes were now filled with righteous indignation. "Who would do such a thing!!?" Suddenly he stopped himself, as if a thought had suddenly struck him. "Naruto. The Fox inside of you. You said it was sealed there, and you are a normal human?"  
  
"Thats right!" Naruto was shaken by the exchange, but his burning desire to learn about the monster caged in him kept him going. "And what do you mean who would do it against it's will? It's a monster!" Kurama was left in silence for a few moments, silently regarding Naruto.  
  
"I see." He looked over to Goku, who was watching them with an almost emotionless, intense look on his face. "So, is this why we are the only two on this team?" He was rewarded with a nod from Goku, who kept his expression neutral.  
  
"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Naruto's voice was high pitched, and on the verge of panic. He placed a hand on his stomach where the seal that held the beast inside of him was placed. "What do you know about Kyubii?"  
  
"I know everything you want to know about it." Kurama stared straight at Naruto with an intense glare. "Although the Kyubii is not exactly the same, it is in the same family, so I am probably the only person who can give you the answers you desperately seek."  
  
"How? How do you know about it?" Kurama laughed, a cold laugh, despite himself.  
  
"Being one myself, i know much about the subject." Suddenly a blue aura engulfed Kurama, spilling out of him and forming into a fox-like shape, only smaller and leaner than the Kyubii. Naruto's eyes were wide open as he gazed breathlessly at the sight before him. He felt a strange churning, coming from somewhere from inside him, but he wasn't familiar with the sensation.  
  
"You have one inside of you?" Naruto could barley believe the words as they came out of his mouth.  
  
"No." Kurama's quick dismissal of Naruto's statement shocked the boy. "I do not have a fox spirit jailed inside of my body." His eyes were once again cold. "'I AM' the fox." Naruto continued to stare in disbelief, while the blue aura sunk back inside of the lean framed boy.  
  
"You.. ARE one?" Naruto scrambled back slightly, widening the gap between the two boys. "But, their monsters, you CAN'T be!" He felt something stinging in his eyes, but he ignored it. Both of them were cut short, however, when Goku stepped back between them.  
  
"I know you both have a lot to digest, but you have to get over this quickly. The faster you accept each other, the faster your training can start." Kurama looked down at the still horrified Naruto.  
  
"And the faster he accepts what he is, the faster he can become whole..." Kurama turned away from the boy on the floor and walked out into the time chambers dangerous environment. Naruto stared after him, part of him horrified by what had just happened, and another part, very deep inside of him, was mysteriously satisfied.  
  
--------------------------  
  
Team Vegeta (Hiei, Inuyasha, Sasuke)  
  
The Tetsusaiga's blade seemed to bounce off of Vegeta when Inuyasha made a direct hit.  
  
Vegeta scoffed as he threw Inuyasha to the floor.  
  
"Is this really the best any of you have?" He spread his arms. "I tell you to come at me with all you have, and you give me this?" He spat "You're more pathetic than i had come to believe."  
  
"Thats it. Prepare to die!" Hiei tore his headband from his forehead, his Jagan glowing as his power surged. His skin became green, and large eyes popped open all over his body.  
  
"So, you have more power than these other weaklings!" Vegeta smirked in anticipation. "Now, show me what you can do with it!"  
  
"I'll show you how much training I need!" The bandages on Hiei's arm fell away, and he threw his shirt to the floor. "This attack will finish you, i don't care how powerful you are!" Vegeta just continued to smirk. "Dragon of the Darkness Flame!!!!"  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
-----  
  
Vegeta laughed as he sat down in from of his two trainees, both of whom were nearly unconscious with exhaustion.  
  
"You put up a good show, I must admit you impressed me." He laughed at the prone Hiei, who struggled to rise to a more dignified cross legged sitting position. "I had to put in some effort to deflect that one."  
  
"This..is...insane..." Inuyasha made out from between his gasps for air. The gravity and air density were taking a heavy toll on all of them after their failed attempts. The only one standing back, was Sasuke, who had yet to show any inclination to attack.  
  
"What about you? I told you all to attack! Now hurry it up! I don't have all day to judge your strength." Suddenly Sasuke scowled.  
  
"You cannot judge the strength of the Uchiha clan...I'll prove that too you now!" Sasuke rushed at Vegeta, jumping to the side just before reaching him. Vegeta hadn't moved from his spot.  
  
"Is that it? A pitiful clan if this is all it has to offer." Vegeta laughed again. Sasuke yelled as he lunged froward, a Kunai aiming for Vegeta. Vegeta easily sidestepped the projectile, and took out Sasuke with a quick chop to the neck.  
  
"All that for nothing?" Vegeta smirked. He was startled when suddenly Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke. He heard his voice yell from behind him.  
  
"RahhH!" Sasuke charged at Vegeta's back with blinding speed, the Chidori fully charged in his hand, blue sparks of electricity surging though the air. He lunged, throwing his hand forward into Vegeta, who sidestepped just as Sasuke's hand reached where he had been.  
  
"Humph, not bad." Vegeta ran a finger along his side, where his armor had been cut, and his glove came back tinged with red. "But your still weak!" As Sasuke tried to turn to face Vegeta, Vegeta appeared in front of him, and delivered a quick blow to his stomach, knocking all of his breath out of him, and leaving him face down on the floor, like his two teammates. "I suppose i can tell where you all stand... although it's pitifully low for the expectations that have been placed on you." He sighed as he sat down to wait for them to recover. "This will be a long year." He smiled as Hiei pulled himself to his feet. "But worth it..."  
  
--------------------------  
  
Team Piccolo (Yusuke, Kuwabara, Sakura)  
  
"Damn, this is one huge place." Yusuke whistled as he peered out at the white nothingness.  
  
"Yeah, and I'm getting a weird vibe from it too." Kuwabara shuddered.  
  
"Enough standing around and gawking!" Piccolo called to two back to task. "I'm giving you all two days to get used to the gravity here before we begin the real training. I want you all to run one hundred laps around the base." He gestured back toward the enclosure that held their food and beds, as well as the door back out.  
  
"See? This is why i hate training." Yusuke started to do stretches in the high gravity, straining to keep his balance and push against the extra weight. "All these rules and stuff to follow."  
  
"Are you sure she's gonna be OK doing this?" Kuwabara asked worriedly about the third member of their team, who was still struggling to stand upright, let alone run. "I don't think she's on the same level as us Uremeshi."  
  
"I'm not weak." Sakura pushed herself up, looking them both in the face. "I'll keep up with you, and i wont hold us back, no matter what." She tried to sound determined, although her knees were still shaking violently.  
  
"You have two days." Piccolo seated himself on the floor in a cross legged position. "I'll be waiting." He closed his eyes and began meditating.  
  
"What the? Is he asleep?" Kuwabara waved his hand in front of Piccolo.  
  
"You idiot, hes probably doing some kind of deep Kung Fu meditation thing. Don't you ever watch movies?" Yusuke watched the Namek expectantly.  
  
"I guess we should get started." Kuwabara started forward. "Man...two days seem a lot shorter when your in a room where a year passes in one." Yusuke stood back for a moment as Kuwabara disappeared around the corner. Sakura was still finding her balance farther off to the side.  
  
"So, teach." Yusuke addressed the seemingly un attentive Piccolo. "This girl really supposed to keep up with us?" He watched her slowly take a few steps toward the point where Kuwabara had gone around out of sight.  
  
"I'm going to have to rely on you to get her up to speed." Piccolo replied without twitching an eye. "Shes behind in the stamina department, but i believe here fighting potential is much higher than the normal human. During this year, I will be training all of you to greatly surpass your current limits, but she will have the hardest time out of all of you."  
  
"Jeez, pretty rough." Yusuke started forward to catch up to the other two.  
  
"Uremeshi." Yusuke stopped and turned back.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do everything you can. I'll be your teacher for this year...but you'll be teaching her on your time as well." Yusuke managed a surprised look. "She has the makings of great mental strength as well. But she will need some help. I'm counting on you. Don't let me down." Yusuke laughed as he turned around.  
  
"Who would believe it? Me, a teacher." He held up a hand as he walked off. "Talk to you in two days."  
  
--------------------------  
  
(A/N) When i started this chapter i was thinking of doing a lot of their training, but I decided I would let the openings go through first, so everyone knew exactly what was going down, and i don't want to make the chapter TOO long. It's a pain reading them sometimes when they get a certain length (although I do like decently long ones, just not too long). Anyway, next chapter we have everyone training in the time chamber. I know your thinking 'how is that going to be exciting? just skip with one of those things you authors do, and get on with the story!' But i have a few things to do before that. Yes, there will be one, but closer to the end of the training. I don't want you seeing what they can do until it comes down to it. Should make it more exciting . As always, please Read and Review!! 


	8. VII: Training

(A/N) A Time jump from the last chapter, about two months worth, just to get everyone moving(literally). Also, i would like to find a beta-reader or two..my email is and my yahoo messenger is raditz85 (i stopped getting on aim since i discovered the LAUNCH radio thingy on yahoo....)

-Chapter 7-

-Hyperbolic Time Chamber-  
(Team Piccolo)

Sakura stood unmoving. She held the Kunai in her hand, poised to throw. She caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye.

"Ha!" She flung the kunai at lightning speed, only to have it land with a thud in the ground. She gasped in frustration as she received a quick blow from the opposite side, sending her to the ground. She used the momentum from the blow to flip back to her feet, and had already retrieved the Kunai.

"I thought i told you. Stop using your eyes!" Yusuke suddenly appeared in view in front of her, seeming to come from no where as he stopped his super fast movements around her. He had increased greatly in speed since their training had begun. He was already about as fast in here as he had been outside.

"It's not possible!" Sakura yelled in frustration. She wiped away the sweat that was freely streaming down her face. "You're too fast for me." She angrily chunked the Kunai into the ground at her feet.

"Hey, don't start throwing a tantrum just because you've fallen behind." Yusuke gave her a sarcastic look. "What was it you said about not falling behind when we first got here?"

"Dammit!" Sakura swore, picking the Kunai from the ground. She closed her eyes, remembering all of the words their Sensei, Piccolo, had spoken before they started their training on their own again.

"You need to sense you opponent. Not just their Chi, but their very being. You have to read their heart beat, their breath, the small shifts in the air from their movement, even their thoughts will betray them in battle. You must achieve perfect focus. Once you have done this, a large difference in speed wont make a difference. You don't need to be faster than your opponent if you can tell what their doing before they do it." She took a deep breath and focused her mind once again. She stilled her heart, lowering her Chi and masking her presence. She could tell that Yusuke was moving around her from the sound of his feet, tapping against the floor. But it wasn't enough. She couldn't use that to catch him, he was too fast. She threw the Kunai one more time, this time ahead of where the sounds told her he was heading.

"Are you even trying to do this?" Yusuke seemed to materialize out of nowhere again, far from where her weapon had struck. She nearly screamed in frustration.

"I told you I can't do it!" She fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands. Yusuke stopped stunned for a moment by her sudden change. "I'm just weak. I'll never be able to get stronger."

"Alright, this is getting ridiculous." Yusuke sighed and shook his head. "I know you're a girl and all, but even for a girl you seem really down on yourself." He squatted in front of her. "What makes you think your so weak?" She looked up, a few tears still running down her face.

"Because I'm always behind everyone else. No matter what I've done, it's never made a difference." She wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. "It's pointless to even try and train me!" Yusuke stared at her for a minute before standing back up.

"Look, heres the short version. I don't give a crap how weak you think you are or how pointless you think it is, I'm training you until you get it right. Now get up, your wasting time." Sakura looked up.

"What makes you think I can do it?"

"Because even if you haven't noticed it yet, you've gotten a lot stronger from when you first came here. But for some dumb reason you keep putting yourself down, acting like you'll never be as strong as me or Kuwabara."

"But thats true!"

"Why?" Yusuke turned to her angrily. "Why is it true? What makes you think you can't be stronger than us?" Sakura sniffed and looked down.

"I told myself before, when I was tired of being the one who was saved all of the time, that i would get stronger, and I would be the one saving them." She laughed harshly. "But nothing changed. I couldn't catch up to them. I couldn't even beat my friend Ino. I've been following the two of them around, acting like part of the team, but I was just fooling myself. They would be better off without me."

"Damn-it..." Yusuke sighed and grabbed her shoulders, standing her up suddenly. "Listen and listen good." She stared at him in surprise. "You made the decision, not to be the one being saved, right? What did you to make that true? Did you start training like hell every day? Did you go off and train like you life depended on it? Or did you just assume you're determination would magically pull you through?!" Sakura looked down, unable to meet his eyes. "I remember when i started training. The first time I didn't put any real effort into it, and that showed when i barley ended up saving the day, and almost killing myself in the process. The next time I took it seriously because the people I loved were in danger, and i got stronger, a lot stronger. But it wasn't just determination. I had to give it every ounce of effort i possibly could, and then squeeze out even more. You can't improve past your limits without reaching them and surpassing them." He let go of her and took a step back. "If you ever think it's not worth it, and you should quit, then you're not trying hard enough, if you think about anything else but your training." He took a step back. "You're going to get this, and were going to continue our training after you do. So hurry up, i don't feel like sitting around waiting all damn year! If you don't want to hold anyone back then just keep trying until you die!" He disappeared again, moving at blazing speed around her. "Because stopping to cry about it is just gonna hold us back even more!" She clenched her fist in determination.

"I'll do my best." She clutched the Kunai until her knuckles turned white. "I wont give up until I die!"

-----------------------------------

(Team Goku)

Kurama raced through the air, flipping and changing direction constantly in mid air, to work his reflexes and speed. He and Naruto had both changed to the training outfits Goku had brought them, a black tank top and baggy white pants. It was much easier to move in than his stiff looking school uniform. He had continued his training since the day they had fist arrived here. Goku had told them both that they would not talk about the matter of the Fox demons until five months had passed, and they had both improved greatly. Kurama was frustrated, but he also saw how it was a good motivational tool. He was training as hard as he could, waiting for the day he could give Naruto his answers. He was furious at the fact no one had told him before. Naruto deserved to know what was happening to him. He dropped back to the ground as he stopped to catch his breath. He glanced over to see Naruto Continuing his own training. He was struggling to pull himself into a sitting position.

"One hundred and...seventy...." Naruto gasped as he fell back flat on the ground. He lay there, unable to do anything but try in vain to get his breathing back to a normal pace. He had been going all out since the day they had first arrived. Throwing himself head first into his training was the only way he knew how. But this time he also needed his questions answered. He opened his eyes to see Kurama standing over him, a hand offered to help him to his feet. Naruto took it, and Kurama uneventfully helped him up. They had both found that since the first time, the energy from the fox demons had stopped reacting on touch. Naruto had been uneasy around Kurama, and tried to keep his distance for the first few weeks, but Goku had insisted that they were to train closely with each other, and to train together as much as possible.

"It seems your stamina is finally balancing out." Kurama noted, as Naruto regained his lost wind quickly. "Although your fox spirit does heal you, you seem to have a large amount of stamina naturally as well. You are a perfect match..." Kurama treaded lightly on the subject, not saying too much. Naruto avoided his gaze as he usually did when Kurama started talking about Kyubii in an almost friendly way. He still hadn't been able to accept that it was more than just a cold, mindless monster. Kurama knew that from what Naruto had probably experienced of it, anyone would draw the same conclusion. But he failed to realize that it had been locked away inside of him for so long. Nothing could endure loneliness that long without suffering the consequences. But what he still did not know was why it had attacked the village in the first place. From what he knew of the Kyubii, it did not attack carelessly and randomly, without some reason. It would have to remain a mystery, however, until he had a chance to talk with Naruto. He would also like to speak with the one who had done the sealing.

"I think I'm really getting used to this place more." Naruto admitted, the excitement slightly showing in his voice. "I cant wait till I get back to the others, and show them how strong I am!" He grinned at his companion. His uneasiness around Kurama had disappeared after a month of training side by side, each one helping the other. Naruto regarded Kurama as a human, no matter what he said before. He was too nice to be a monster. Just like a real person.

"I'm sure everyone will be impressed." Kurama smile warmly. "But since they are training in these conditions also, I believe we must keep training as hard as we can, or they will quickly surpass us. We must train until the very last days of our time in here." Naruto nodded in agreement, reinforcing his determination.

"I'll give it everything i have!" He thought for a moment. "Oi, Kurama...I know we need to increase our strength, but I have a little trouble working on my speed." He grinned sheepishly. "I'm not very good at all that acrobatic stuff you're always doing, but I was thinking that the best way we can build up speed and battle reflexes would be to spar a lot." He looked up hopefully at his partner. "Do you think we could include more of that in our training together?" Kurama was surprise Naruto was comfortable enough with him to make such a request.

"Very well, if you think it for the best." Kurama stepped a few paces away and turned to face him. "Why don't we start right away." He sprung from a crouch, flying at Naruto.

-----------------------------------

(Team Vegeta)

It was extremely fortunate that the three teams had been safely divided into three completely separate dimensions. Vegeta's training area was marked with various scorch marks and the base was shaken up, and covered in shrapnel.

"Much better, now just keep it up, and you'll be there in no time." Vegeta coached Inuyasha as he held his Tetsusaiga in front of him, sweat poring from him, his hair matted down from being soaked. He had lost his shirt long ago, the heat of the room made it necessary to dress as light as possible. The only thing he kept track of was his red kimono, sown from the hair of the fire rat. It was left back at the entrance, much too valuable to misplace.

"It's too much!" Inuyasha struggled to hold onto his swords transformation as he swung it around as fast as he could, concentrating on every move of his muscles. "I didn't know holding the transformation could actually tire me out. I've never done it for so long at one time before." He stopped to regain his footing as he pivoted on one foot, lunging in the other direction, before stopping to fall to one knee, bracing himself with the blade.

"Just keep it up." Vegeta gave him a disgruntled look. "I hate to admit it, but a technique i learned from Kakarott may actually come in handy training you three." He glanced over at the other two, who were continuing their own training slightly off behind him. "Learning to hold your transformed state, and make it as natural as your normal body, so much so you hold it in your sleep. This will save the energy used to transform, which can be used to increase your stamina greatly in battle. Or, when possible, achieve an even higher form." He gazed at each of his charges in turn. "I don't know enough of your powers to tell you if you have one, but finding your hidden strengths will be up to you to do on your own." He scoffed as Sasuke fell to the ground once again, a hand held over the curse seal on his neck. "Don't tell me you haven't gotten around that stupid thing. It ceases to be amusing, now that it has slowed your training dramatically." He walked over to the struggling boy.

"I can't stop it." He admitted coldly between clenched teeth. "It responds to my chakra. When i get close to my limit, it starts forcefully pulling out all of my reserves." He flinched at the searing pain as the seal shifted again, then slammed a fist into the ground in frustration. "If I can't get rid of it, I'll never be strong enough!" He sat there, angrily catching his breath as the seal slowly withdrew from the side of his face.

"So thats why you have to get rid of it!" Vegeta pointed out impatiently. "If you don't have the mental discipline to keep control of your own energy, to keep it from being manipulated by an outside force, than you have no right to assume you will grow into anything at all, even if the damned seal was removed!" He glared down at Sasuke angrily. "You find the strength to remove it within the next four months. If, by then you haven't found the strength to do it, you will be kicked out. You don't deserve this training." Sasuke cursed himself as he rose to his feet. He couldn't afford to waist that much time! Only half a year would remain for his training, where as everyone else had received a whole year's worth. He couldn't allow that to happen, he couldn't allow himself to fall behind so much.

"You're starting to disappoint me, Hiei." Vegeta called to the last member of his squad, who was in the process of reverting from his green, eye covered demon form. "You're growth was impressive at first, but it seems you've hit a wall." He smirked at the look of anger on the demon's face.

"I don't understand. I have been holding my transformation as long as possible, but it never seems to increase the duration, or the ease..." He clenched his fist in frustration. "I just don't understand."

"Perhaps you've taken you're form to it's limit." He pointed to Hiei's forehead. More precisely, the Jagan eye that rested there. "And perhaps you're relying on that thing in your head, when you should be focusing on your own powers."

"The Jagan amplifies my powers." Hiei retorted. "Although they were weakened when it was implanted, they have fully returned, and the Jagan multiplies them many times over. It is for the power it gives me that I rely on it."

"Fool." Vegeta spat, causing Hiei to grit his teeth in anger. "You rely on the toy to boost your power, but did it ever occur to you that it could be holding it in? You channel your energy through the eye when you transform, but when it gets close to it's maximum, whats to say that the eye doesn't shut it down on it's own? There can be no growth if you can't push yourself too you limits."

"No..." Hiei regarded his situation in disbelief. What Vegeta said made sense. Of course, the eye was trying to keep his power regulated, like an automatic overload protector, to put it simply.

"If you don't find something new, I'm going to have to start training your basic limits right away, to make up for the lost advantage of a permanent transformation."

"Of course!" Hiei's eyes widened. "I should have been using it all along, i have been wasting my time!" Vegeta watched him curiously.

"What are you yammering about?"

"Just stand back and watch." Hiei once again removed the bandages from his arm. "Dragon of the Darkness Flame!"

"I've seen this trick!" Vegeta was exasperated, until he saw the dragon emerge, and suddenly U-turn, heading right back at Hiei. "What the..." The two collided, and the dragon seemed to engulf him completely, Hiei was no longer visible through the black energy swirling in his place. Vegeta took a step forward, unsure of what happened, when suddenly the energy suddenly condensed, all at once, into a single spot. He watched in amazement as Hiei appeared from the mass of energy, the black crackling aura seeming to draw into him until it disappeared.

"This..." Hiei slowly opened his eyes, which now seemed to be filled with the black flame that formed the dragon. "...is my true power." A smile slowly spread across his face. "Shall we resume our training?" Vegeta threw his head back laughing. He had chosen the right students. He knew he was going to enjoy the last ten months of training. Once the Uchiha boy and the half breed had proven themselves, they could get down the the serious training.

-----------------------------------

(A/N) The training is progressing, and the final leg will play out next chapter. Everyone begins their true training for the last few months left to them. Can Sasuke break the curse before his time expires? Also, Naruto and Kurama both learn the secrets of the Kyubii, and Piccolo's students finally graduate their basic training, and move on to Piccolo's personal boot camp. Finally, Vegeta pushes Inuyasha to find his hidden power, but he may end up pushing too hard for the dog demon to handle. ((As stated above, i would love some beta-readers, just contact me at the addresses I listed if your interested.))


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